Stratford continues to prove a point in football playoffs

CENTRAL WISCONSIN - There was a hint of annoyance in the voice of Stratford football coach Jason Tubbs when he discussed his team's seeding for the playoffs.

He addressed the matter of disrespect after Stratford finished off a 42-19 dismantling of Bonduel on the road in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs on Oct. 20.

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"We're a 2 seed anywhere else except the (grouping) where they sent us," said Tubbs, whose Tigers were given the fifth seed. "I don't know if the WIAA wants to get some new people to the (state championship game) party, but give our guys credit. They played with a chip on our shoulders."

The Tigers carried that chip all the way over to Stanley-Boyd on Friday night and showed the opening-round upset, at least on paper, was no fluke.

Stratford turned in another dominating performance on both sides of the football and left Stanley with a rousing 38-0 triumph over the top-seeded and previously unbeaten Orioles.

The outcome avenged a season-opening 21-14 loss to Stanley-Boyd and set the Tigers up for another road test against second-seeded and two-time defending state champion Amherst in the state quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday.

Four different Stratford players accounted for touchdowns, with Kade Ehrike finding the end zone twice as he gradually returns to full strength from an ankle injury. Jordan Becker led the ground attack with 111 yards on 13 carries.

More importantly, the Tigers' defense put on a clinic against Stanley-Boyd. The Orioles were limited to a measly 85 yards of total offense, including no first downs in the opening half.

Stratford will get another chance to state its case against Amherst, which eliminated the Tigers in the playoffs three consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2014.

March madness in October

After sneaking into the Division 1 playoffs with a last-second win over Fond du Lac in the regular season finale, little did Stevens Point Area Senior High know its thrill ride was just getting started.

SPASH would need overtime to edge Hudson 48-47 in the opening round of the playoffs Oct. 20. That turned out to be a ho-hum affair in comparison to what took place Friday night.

In arguably the wildest contest of the postseason to date throughout the state, the Panthers suffered a gut-wrenching 57-51 loss to unbeaten Bay Port.

Colton Kizewski's second touchdown of regulation and the subsequent 2-point run by Brady Woyak gave the Panthers renewed life in overtime.

However, after taking turns scoring and converting the extra points in the first three overtime periods, Bay Port's defense finally made a stop.

When Ryan Smith scored his fourth touchdown on the Pirates' possession in the fourth overtime, SPASH's magical run came to an end.

Kizewski wrapped up his Panthers career with 178 yards on the gound on 33 attempts and four TDs.

The scoreboard also had a tough time keeping up at Thunderbird Field, where Iola-Scandinavia easily moved into the state quarterfinals with a 59-26 demolition of Crivitz.

Junior running back Bryce Huettner enjoyed a monster performance with 240 yards rushing on 21 carries and seven touchdowns. That's not a misprint.

The T-Birds get a rematch with Marathon, a 26-6 winner over Auburndale, in the Division 6 state quarterfinals.

Beat goes on

Newsflash!! Edgar and Amherst are still really good at football.

The Wildcats showed once again dethroning the defending Division 7 state champions will be easier said than done.

Edgar advanced to the state quarterfinals with a routine 35-0 win over Pittsville — ironically the second playoff win in a row by that identical score with Athens the victim in the opening round.

Bangor gets the next shot at the Wildcats.

Meanwhile, Amherst marched on in its bid for a three-peat and a fourth straight trip to the Division 5 state title game with a 49-18 drubbing of Spencer/Columbus Catholic.

That was the third consecutive season the Falcons eliminated the Rockets from the playoffs.

Amherst senior quarterback Marcus Glodowski seems to outdo himself with each passing week in his first season as a starting quarterback. He amassed 274 yards on the ground and five touchdowns in the win over S/CC.

Central Wisconsin area

state quarterfinal matchups

Division 3

Rice Lake at Antigo 

Division 5

Stratford at Amherst

Division 6

Marathon at Iola-Scandinavia

Division 7

Abbotsford at Clear Lake

Bangor at Edgar

All games at 7 p.m.